Hines backs Boyd to prove himself

Hines backs Boyd to prove himself

AFTER finally hitting the 200th goal of a prolific career, Middlesbrough are hoping Kris Boyd can finally prove himself in the English league by firing them up the Championship table.

Almost three months after last finding the net and having to deal with the constant suggestions he would be moving on last month, Boyd celebrated the closure of the transfer window in style.

A predatory finish at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday against Scunthorpe reminded everyone that he still has an eye for goal.

Whether Middlesbrough or Boyd like it or not, the striker will be on Teesside until the summer at least and now manager Tony Mowbray is hoping to utilise him in the best way he can – by scoring goals.

There might have been strong interest in him from Chechnya’s Terek Grozny and clubs in Turkey, but with the window closed his teammates feel that Middlesbrough could be about to see the real Kris Boyd.

“We joke about the things that are being said like the links to Chechnya or wherever, but Kris is here and we know he is now here to stay,”

said defender Seb Hines, whose long pass laid on Boyd’s goal on Tuesday.

“Kris arrived as a goal machine and hopefully he can prove that to the fans here.

Boyd is a massive name tag and he proved himself in the SPL with Rangers. You don’t get that many goals by not being a top striker.

“Now he has to prove himself in the Championship. We think that now he has got that goal he will kick on, win more games and climb up that table.”

Boyd, 28, now has six goals for Middlesbrough, with Leroy Lita – who tried to claim Tony McMahon’s goal on Tuesday – the only other player at the club to have reached that figure this season.

Ironically, it was Boyd and Lita who looked the most likely to leave the Riverside before the deadline passed on Monday.

In the end, though, David Wheater and Gary O’Neil were the only sales.

Hines said: “It helps that the window has closed because there was uncertainty surrounding Wheater, O’Neil and others. Those two have gone on to further their careers, we have a couple of new lads and it’s about those left behind now. They are in the past and we have to look to the present.

“There are always rumours.

Wheater’s rumours went on longer than others. We just have to forget about those things now. We have to go on and win games without those players.”

While Middlesbrough lost three, including Lee Miller who joined Scunthorpe on loan, Mowbray was able to replace two of them in the shape of Maximilian Haas and Merouane Zemmama.

Haas, who was on the bench on Tuesday, has already outlined a desire to establish himself quickly. Hines, however, has warned he will not give up his shirt easily.

“I have waited a long time for this opportunity and I have to keep performing the way I am,” said Hines “I have to keep going and doing what I am doing. A clean sheet has helped me and Matthew Bates. As long as we have conjured up a good partnership then I’m certain me and Bates can be the answer.”

There are six points separating Middlesbrough, unbeaten in six league games, from the bottom three ahead of Saturday’s trip to relegation threatened Crystal Palace.

Hines added: “We were disappointed not to get the points against Preston, we deserved it. Hopefully we will have set a statement soon that we do mean business.

“There’s no favourites in this league, we just have to keep building on the confidence we have. We are showing the manager and the fans what we can do. It was going to take time under the new manager, but we are definitely improving.”

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